"Azula, this is Ty Lee. She's here to play with you today." The six year old child could not comprehend why her mother kept trying to find other girls to play with her. She had no interest in them. She would much rather be playing with her older cousin, who would play war with her. Or she would rather be training with her father. Why her mother insisted she spend time with girls was beyond her. Wasn't spending time with her silly little sister good enough? It was already annoying enough to play with that little four year old every day for an hour. The little Princess that no one really cared about. No one looked at her, she was even less valuable than Zuko. They were just going to marry her off to the noble willing to pay the most. And maybe that's why Azula played with her, because she felt a twinge of guilt.
Azula looked at the little girl in front of her without much interest. She wore pink, a horribly blindingly girly color that had no place in the royal palace. At least all of the other girls had worn red. The other girl looked like she was assessing Azula as well, and her face suddenly broke out into a large smile. That startled Azula, as most little girls didn't like her. They didn't smile, or even pretend to be interested by her. They mostly feared her, feared her like no one else ever would. She didn't know if she liked being feared more, or having a little girl actually smile at her.
"Do you want to play with me?" Azula looked at the girl up and down.
"What kind of game are we going to play? I don't want to play any silly girly games you know. I don't have time for dolls and dresses."
"We can play anything you want to play!" That also confused Azula. Most girls insisted that they play with dolls or played dress up. This little girl didn't care?
"How about war?"
"Okay! Just tell me how to play!"
Azula's eyes slowly fluttered open. She was happy to actually have a nice dream for once, because when she woke up, it was always in hell. She hated her cell, she hated everything about the place. But most of all she hated that it represented her failure. The betrayals that had been, the loss she felt. She couldn't believe that she actually missed that little acrobat, with her constant prattling and pink attire. She slowly sat up, and noticed her sister sitting in the cell with her. She looked nothing like either of their parents, but apparently she looked more like their grandmother. Her long brown hair was free, like normal and her green eyes penetrated everything they looked at. Azula had finally taught her well, if it was only to have that look about her.
"You're here awfully early today aren't you? Couldn't stay away from the loony bin?"
"Actually you slept in today." Azula never slept in.
"What time is it?"
"It's almost noon. You never sleep this late. Did you not have a nightmare?"
"My dream was somewhat pleasing actually." Her younger sister smiled at her. She would never understand why this beautiful girl visited a monster like her everyday. She never failed to visit, not once since she had been put in here. Azula wondered if she visited their father too, and it wouldn't surprise her if she did. When her sister was born, no one paid much attention to her at first. But when she got older, their father loved and doted on her. Ursa had too, as did their uncle and cousin and even Zuko had taken to her. Azula had taken to her before the rest of them. She didn't mind playing with her most of the time, because she would do anything and play anything that Azula wanted. And other than the occasional Mai, she was the only one to visit. Zuko did once in a great while to see if she was "recovering" and seemed almost disappointed every time she ignored him. She would never be close to him, but that didn't mean she was still insane.
"What was it about?"
"Aren't you being nosey Kira?" Azula gave her sister an annoyed look.
"Zula, you can either talk about it or I can tell you some more boring stories about what Kai and I ate for dinner last night or what I wrote to Uncle about or how Mai and Zuko are-"
"Alright alright. I get your point. It wasn't anything special. It was an actual memory from when we were little. From when I was six."
"Well come on do tell." Kira was the only one that Azula could tell anything to. Kira never judged, never criticized. She didn't think everything that Azula did was perfect or earth shattering, but she did give credit where credit was due. She was the only one who had ever loved Azula. She had never feared her or pitied her. She was just her sister, and right now her best friend. Well, her only friend. Azula never really hesitated in telling her sister anything, even when it made her feel uncomfortable.
"It was how I met the biggest traitor ever to live." Her face contorted with anger, and sorrow. Only her sister could read her expressions so well. Kira frowned a bit, and then looked up at her sister.
"She's been thinking about you too. She sent me a letter that I got this morning. She wanted to know how you were doing, if you were getting any better. I offered her a free trip to come see you but she refused to take my money."
"She never lets anyone give her money. Stupid girl. I don't want to see her anyways."
"Don't lie to yourself Azula. I know you do. And you don't have to lie to me either." The only real reason Azula wanted to see Ty Lee at all was to ask the most important question she thought of everyday: Why? There had been a time, throughout most of their childhood that Azula had really thought that Ty Lee had been her real friend. She hadn't really felt that way about Mai, but with Ty Lee she had thought it was more than simple fear. She thought it had been real. But she was wrong, something that didn't occur very often. Trust was for the weak. Yet she trusted her sister, because she was the only one who had never left, and who never would.
"Azula did you really just banish someone already?" Azula looked out from the throne at her little sister. When her sister said it like that, it made her feel stupid and cruel. She pushed the feelings back. She wasn't going to rationalize it either, because her sister would judge her even more. She looked at the two servants scrubbing her feet, and felt annoyed.
"People need to know that there will be punishment for their actions."
"There was a pit in one of your cherries. Agni forbid Azula!" She didn't like the tone of her sisters sarcasm, although normally she would have found it amusing.
"What is happening to you Azula?" Her sister's worried voice brought her back to reality. She motioned for the servants to leave and they scurried away. Kira approached the throne and embraced her sister. Azula had to hide a sob into her sister's shoulder, trying her to silence herself. Crying was a weakness. Her father needed her to be perfection, but she felt as though she was going mad. Without Ty Lee, there was nothing left for her. She missed her, as difficult as it was to admit. There were only two people in the world who acted as though they would love her unconditionally. Kira, and - Oh why did she even care about that traitor anymore?
Kira sat with her sister as she banished person after person, trying to be the voice of reason. Azula would have none of it. All she could see was Ty Lee in the face of every person she looked at.
"Azula, we heard what happened. Why have you banished all of your servants?"
"All your Dai Lee agents?"
"All of the Imperial Firebenders?"
"None of them could be trusted. Sooner or later they would have betrayed me. Just like Mai and Ty Lee did." She choked on Ty Lee's name and Kira finally understood the real depth of how hurt she had been, how devastated.
"Azula, we are concerned for you and your well being."
"My father asked you to come here and talk to me didn't he? He thinks I can't handle the responsibility of being Fire Lord. But I will be the greatest leader in Fire Nation history."
"Of course but perhaps we should postpone the coronation?" Azula was so infuriated. The banishing was quick.
"Azula, please listen to me. I've always done what you've wanted, I've always been loyal. I think that you're putting too much pressure on yourself."
"You're just saying that because you want to be Fire Lord!"
"Azula listen to yourself. You know I never want to be Fire Lord. That's my one goal in life. I DO NOT want to be Fire Lord. I just want to be your little sister. And I want you to always be there. But I just think that you need to take a break."
"Nonsense. I know what I'm doing. Have some faith in me sister."
"I'm so worried about you. It's okay to be sad about Ty Lee and Mai."
"Don't ever say those names to me again!" She screamed.
Kira watched her, chained up and crying, spewing blue fire everywhere. She cried as she watched her beloved sister be taken away. Zuko embraced his little sister, and she bawled. She couldn't believe that Azula was losing her mind. She couldn't believe that her proud, strong sister was now reduced to a crying teenager. But in her heart she blamed a number of people. She blamed her father and mother for not showing love to their daughter. She blamed Zuko for always being so mean to her. She blamed Mai for choosing Zuko over her. And she blamed Ty Lee most of all for what she had done, after all they had been through. She never in a million years thought that Ty Lee would leave her sister's side, but she was wrong. She blamed many people, wishing she could have loved her sister more, but it was impossible to have loved her anymore than she already had.
"So Kai and I are thinking about going to the Earth Kingdom."
"Well that would only make sense since he is a Prince of the Earth Kingdom." Azula looked at her sister in a bored fashion.
"We were hoping to take you with us." Azula's eyes became bright and almost hopeful.
"Is that so? I didn't think Zuzu would allow it."
"He won't at the moment. But I'm not leaving without you."
"You really should. I'm a lost cause."
"I'm not leaving without you," Kira said more forcefully. She wasn't going to leave her sister, no matter what anyone said. She had been fighting Zuko for months on this. Azula wasn't crazy anymore, she was almost back to her normal self. Zuko didn't know what she needed to get better. Kira didn't really either, but she knew that this wasn't it. She knew that a bunch of doctors shooting her up with drugs was not the right answer. She knew that she had to find a different way to heal, and she wanted Ty Lee to help, but she was still hesitant to come. Kira couldn't really understand why. All the years of trust between Ty Lee and Azula had not been completely eroded by one betrayal. She knew that Azula still had feelings for her, even now.
"You really think that they're going to let you? Zuko hates me remember? He doesn't want me out and about because I'm so dangerous. I'm surprised he let me keep my bending."
"Azula you were fourteen years old. The same age I am now. You can still come out a different, better person. Not that I want you to become a totally different person. You know I like you very much. I just want you to not threaten to take over nations and destroy the world. There really isn't any need for it."
"My dear little sister, always straight to say exactly what she wants." Azula couldn't help but smile. Lately, she had been thinking that any place was better than another day in these cells. Another year or so of it and she might actually go crazy. She wanted to be anywhere, even the crummy Earth kingdom.
"I learned from you." Kira gave a smirk to her sister. Azula hated when she went home for the night. She wished she was allowed to stay, even just one night. She missed being snuggled up to her sister, a tradition they had shared when one or the other had nightmares. But, she had nightmares every night.
Kira was always sad to leave her sister at night. But this night was actually important. It was the night she and Kai were going to convince Zuko to take her home. All of the members of the Avatar's group were coming to meet to discuss this. And there was a special guest outside of all of them. Kira sat down next to Kai at the giant table, squeezing his hand underneath it.
"Don't worry we're going to bring her home. I don't care what it takes." She nodded pensively, so worried. It was really going to be three on the rest of them she could tell. She got up excitedly as she came through the door, in her all green attire. She gripped onto Ty Lee, not letting go for several minutes.
"I'm so glad you came."
"It seems like the least I can do. And you forcibly paid for my travels, so I felt like I had to. Well, I already did have to because I needed to for her." Ty Lee looked down, her gaze was incredibly sad. Kira took her hands and smiled at her.
"She's going to forgive you. I know she will." When the others came in, Ty Lee and Mai shared a long embrace, followed up with the normal "how have you been?" and "wow you look great." But Ty Lee didn't look great. It looked like she hadn't eaten in awhile. Ty Lee used to eat all the time, but it didn't look like she had in ages. Her eyes looked slightly sunken, as though she had been crying extensively over the past two years. Her walk was no longer as confident, and her laugh was not as full. Her aura was no longer pink. It was a muddied blue, or even possibly a muddy grey. As they all sat down, Zuko was the first to speak.
"I think it would be alright for you two to take her. But I think we should take her bending away."
"I agree," Katara chimed in.
"No! You cannot take away her bending! She will never recover if you take away the one thing she lives for! None of you have any idea what she needs to get better! Only Ty Lee and I know what she needs!"
"She's a threat to everyone around her! We can't really let her walk around with all that power in Ba Sing Se!" Suki was just as passionate as Kira had been, but she wasn't giving up.
"We'll be watching her! I'm going to make sure that Uncle Iroh doesn't let her out of his sight! I can't let her bending be taken away. That would be worse than death for her!"
"Why don't you all shut up and ask Ty Lee what she thinks? She knows that girl more than anyone, more than even you. No offence Princess, but Ty Lee knows exactly what she needs." Everyone was shocked to hear Toph stand up for Azula. Toph had no love for the Princess, although she was very fond of the younger one. Toph seemed to be the one voice of reason in a sea of opinions. Everyone looked at the young acrobat.
"Well what do you think Ty Lee?" Mai looked at her friend, not really thinking that Ty Lee could make an unbiased decision. She knew that Ty Lee had some very strong feelings for the Princess, as much as she wanted to deny it. Ty Lee looked at Kira for a long time and then stood.
"I think her living with Iroh is a good idea. It will be a form of punishment for her, but not so extreme that she can't recover. And I think that if you take her bending away she will find an inventive way to kill herself within a week. And I know that what you all probably want but I'm not going to let you do that."
"I don't think they should take her at all," Sokka muttered.
"Well that's not a choice," Kai said. Zuko looked at Kai in confusion.
"And why is that Kai?"
"Because my grandfather King Bumi has ordered her transfer to the city of Ba Sing Se. If you don't give her to us, you will have a war on your hands." Everyone looked shocked to hear it except for Toph. Kai was her best friend's nephew after all, and he was not one to take chances. And if Kira wanted something, she got it. She rarely asked for anything, and if she wanted this she would have it.
"You would start a war over Azula?" Mai looked shocked, which was surprising since she didn't ever show much emotion.
"I would start a war for my sister yes. I grew up here. I knew her just as well as any of you. But I saw first hand how Ozai, and Ursa treated her. I saw how she was raised and groomed to become a war weapon. I love her like my own blood, as does my mother. I won't let you take away her bending. I believe she can recover. I believe she will get better. But I don't think you know what she needs. I think Iroh does. And I believe Ty Lee does as well. I know her well enough to know that without her bending she won't want to live."
"So I have no choice but to surrender her to you is what you're saying." Zuko's hands clenched into fists. Mai lightly touched his shoulder and the rest of them looked at the two demanding her come with them.
"That's exactly what I'm saying. We're leaving with her tomorrow, and we've hired Ty Lee to help us escort her there. If you try to stop us, you will have a full out war on your hands."
"Then I have no choice. You can take my lunatic sister. But if she tries to take over the Earth Kingdom it will be on your heads." Kai nodded, and left the room. Ty Lee gravitated towards Kira as Zuko looked furious, and most of the others didn't look so pleased either.
"That could have gone better."
"I'm more worried about talking to your sister."
